Kosovo talks officially end

Today marks the official end of the four-month Kosovo status negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will submit a report given to him by the mediating Troika to the UN Security Council. The report on the Kosovo talks states that Belgrade and Pristina promised to refrain from moves that would endanger the security situation in the province, while maintaining their stances on the Kosovo status issue. 
 

Goran Bogdanovic, a member of the Belgrade team, said that nothing meaningful will happen with the status situation until December 19, when he expects the Security Council to give a suggestion for continuing talks.
 

President of the Forum for Ethnic Relations Dusan Janjic said that the UN Security Council will probably conclude that there was progress made in the Kosovo status talks, but he does not think that a continuation will be approved.
 

“The report, essentially, speaks of the inability to solve the status problem through direct talks, but at the same time suggests talks regarding other mutual interests,” he said.
 

The Kosovo Albanians have called on Western countries to offer “immediate” support to their demands for full independence from Serbia, considering that the negotiations have failed.
 

They also stated that independence would not be proclaimed without the go-ahead from the United States and European Union.
 

December 10 had earlier been calculated as the “D Day” for Kosovo Albanian leaders to proclaim independence.
 

The UN Security Council will discuss the report on the status talks on December 19, with Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica expected to lead the Serbian delegation.
 

 (MIA)